Weekly Comment:The Poetry of 1916

“‘Her Exiled Children’: Poetry in America and the 1916 Easter Rising,” is being presented by Glucksman Ireland House, NYU.

By R. Bryan Willits, Editorial AssistantJanuary 28, 2016

Glucksman Ireland House, the center for Irish and Irish American Studies at New York University, is hosting an event centered on the poetry of the 1916 Easter Rising written by Irish and Irish-American authors.

Titled “‘Her Exiled Children’: Poetry in America and the 1916 Easter Rising,” the event will be hosted by National Book Award-winning author Colum McCann, and features readings from some of the biggest names in poetry and literature, including Ireland’s inaugural Fiction Laureate and NYU’s Distinguished Writer-in-Residence, Anne Enright, Alice McDermott, another winner of the National Book Award, and New York Times-bestselling novelist Matthew Thomas.

Legendary Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and writer Paul Muldoon will debut a new poem commissioned for this event, while there will also be readings from the Irish-born actress Geraldine Hughes. Singers Mary Deady and Cathy Maguire will also perform songs contemporaneous with the Rising.

The event is directed by George C. Heslin, founder and artistic director of Origin Theatre Company, and takes place February 4, at the Sheen Center for Culture and Thought in New York.

“What’s beautiful about this event is that many say the Rising was one made by poets,” Heslin says. “We are presenting a poetry event in the words of those involved in a momentous occasion that changed the path of history.” ♦

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Tickets can be purchased on OvationTix.com or by calling OvationTix at 866-811-4111. General admission is $15 ($5 admission for Glucksman Ireland House members and for students with a valid ID). 7:00 p.m. 18 Bleeker St.